DUBLIN, Calif. – Patelco Credit Union and two local high schools are launching a pilot program to deliver personal finance instruction that meets new California state curriculum requirements for the 2027-28 school year.
Teachers and administrators from Castlemont High School in Oakland and Westmoor High School in Daly City helped design their respective programs with Patelco and will include the new semester-long curriculum weekly in classrooms beginning in September.
The pilot program gives participating schools a headstart in complying with Assembly Bill 2927, California’s landmark financial literacy legislation requiring high schools across the state to offer a standalone personal finance course beginning in the 2027-28 school year, with personal finance becoming a graduation requirement for the Class of 2031.
“This is a natural extension of Patelco’s long-held mission to help members achieve financial wellbeing through financial literacy and empowerment,” said Erin Mendez, President and CEO of Patelco. “Developing a sustainable curriculum enhancement model that schools can integrate into long-term implementation plans helps build financially resilient individuals, families, and communities.”
Dayo Adebiyi, an instructor at Castlemont High School in Oakland, was motivated to incorporate Patelco’s content into his Intro to Business class curriculum after attending a similar exercise for students at another local educational institution. “Above all my observations, what truly moved me was the engagement by the entire Patelco team with each of the young people. The conversations, examples, and scenarios were very real. All the young people I observed were intentionally engaged,” he said.
The Patelco Financial Wellness for Schools Initiative is designed to help school districts implement California’s financial literacy requirement through modular learning experiences that complement classroom instruction, enabling each school to build their own curriculum to suit their needs. The program aligns with the California Personal Finance Curriculum Guide, issued to help schools comply with the new legislation, which emphasizes real-world simulations, family financial literacy events, guest speakers, internships, and workforce development opportunities as high-impact implementation strategies that strengthen financial literacy outcomes.
Patelco’s program will reinforce instruction across key curriculum areas including banking, budgeting, employment and income, credit management, loans, insurance, taxes, investing, fraud prevention, behavioral finance, charitable giving, and college financing.
The initiative is an extension of Patelco’s award-winning financial education program that has garnered national attention for building financial wellbeing. Over the past 20 months alone, the team has led 133 onsite workshops for students in partnership with 20 local high schools and community colleges across the Bay Area. Patelco tailored its established content according to the new curriculum requirement and the specific needs of each high school in developing its new pilot program.
